Foreign Minister meets with Malawi Alumni

The Icelandic Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson, visited Malawi in July. During his visit in Lilongwe, the Minister invited several UNU-GEST alumni from Malawi to dinner. The alumni described their experiences of studying in Iceland, discussed how the studies at UNU-GEST had benefited them professionally and the challenges they face in advancing gender equality in Malawi.

The alumni group representing UNU-GEST consisted of six members who work in various fields of gender in Malawi: Chikondi Lydia Manyungwa, Chief, Fisheries Planning Office for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (2013 graduate); Thandiwe Bwanamdoko, Study Circle Coordinator for the Swedish Cooperative Centre (2013 graduate); Emmanuel Likoya, Research Coordinator at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (2014 graduate); Joseph K. H. Kazima, Assistant Director of Gender at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare (2014 graduate); Yananda Nana Madhlopa, Lecturer at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (2014 graduate); and Victor Kondwani Maulidi, Head of Communication, Malawi NGO Gender Coordination Network (2015 graduate).

The Minister expressed his pleasure of meeting this group of outstanding professionals and learning about their accomplishments. The government of Iceland has in the past been the primary funding source for the UNU-GEST Post-graduate Diploma Programme, which has maintained Malawi as one of its focal countries.